WEEK OF FEBRUARY 19, 2025
VOLUME 63, NUMBER 14
Kiwanis to present annual spaghetti dinner
Fire board selects design firm for next station rebuild
By STAFF REPORT
trepecki@breezenewspapers.com
The Sanibel-Captiva Kiwanis Club is returning to the kitchen to cook up thousands of meatballs, hundreds of pounds of spaghetti and dozens of gallons of sauce to serve in a long-standing tradition. The Annual Kiwanis Spaghetti Dinner will return on Feb. 22 from 4 to 8 p.m. at The Community House on Sanibel. One of the club’s major fundraisers, it will feature an all-you-caneat Italian feast of salad, pasta and meatballs — using a special Kiwanis recipe sauce — garlic bread, wine and soda. “The spaghetti dinner has a long history as a fixture on the islands’ social calendar, dating to the earliest days of the local Kiwanis Club 50-plus years ago,” the club shared. “Attendees will enjoy a hearty spaghetti dinner, complete with all the
By TIFFANY REPECKI
trepecki@breezenewspapers.com
SANIBEL-CAPTIVA KIWANIS CLUB
Sanibel-Captiva Kiwanis Club President Emily Ankerson with tickets to this year’s Annual Kiwanis Spaghetti Dinner, which will be held on Feb. 22 from 4 to 8 p.m. at The Community House on Sanibel.
The Sanibel-Captiva Kiwanis Club will host its Annual Kiwanis Spaghetti Dinner on Feb. 22 from 4 to 8 p.m. at The Community House on Sanibel. trimmings, plus a fun-filled night with friends and neighbors.” Following dinner, attendees will enjoy music, dancing, a raffle and an auction. Wine, coffee and three kinds of The Bubble Room’s popular cakes will also be available. “This event is more than just a fundraiser. It’s a celebration of our community spirit,” the club shared. “It’s a night where everyone is welcome, and we come together to share good food, laughter and camaraderie.” See SPAGHETTI DINNER, page 18
Red tide bloom may have run course, SCCF reports
On Feb. 12, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) reported that the red tide bloom off of Sanibel and Captiva may be in decline based on lower counts, as well as a shift in satellite imagery that showed it moving to the north and south of the islands. The SCCF Marine Lab found the highest concentration of Karenia brevis over the prior week to be 1.9 million cells per liter at Blind Pass Beach, with 1.5 million cells per liter at Tarpon Bay Road Beach. Those counts of K. brevis — the organism that blooms into red tide — were down
from high counts of 22 million cells per liter two weeks earlier at two beaches on Sanibel. “Our sampling in Pine Island Sound yesterday found the highest counts in Tarpon Bay with two readings over 250,000 cells per liter. The Redfish Pass area was also of concern, but overall, it seems to be subsiding on the Pine Island Sound side of the islands,” SCCF research associate Mark Thompson said on Feb. 12. Further south, they found low concentrations off of Sanibel and background to
no Karenia in the San Carlos Bay, near the Sanibel Causeway. Samples taken on Feb. 12 on the causeway and Sanibel beaches showed no Karenia cells. However, scientists and volunteers gathering the samples still noticed respiratory irritation. Satellite imagery also showed a significant shift in the bloom, indicating lower counts and less intensity, as well as movement away from the islands. Fish kills reported to the SCCF also decreased last week compared to the prior See RED TIDE, page 19
The Sanibel Fire and Rescue District’s commission ranked the architectural firms for the Station 171 reconstruction at its recent meeting, as well as directed staff to execute a contract with the top one. On Feb. 12, the commissioners evaluated ADG Architecture, GMA Architects & Planners and Schenkel Shultz for professional architectural services for the station on Palm Ridge Road. The firms were scored on: qualifications, qualifications of project manager and key personnel, project approach, reference projects, office location(s) relative to district needs, and current and projected workload. Each criteria could be scored See FIRE BOARD, page 18
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